As in guillotine...

The Truth About Disruption in Publishing

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 26, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:3 Comments

In publishing, every day it seems there's a new upstart or three that's going to disintermediate (or even better, KILL!) traditional publishers, but with the exceptions of Open Road Integrated Media and, possibly, Ruckus Media Group -- notably, both are run by major publishing veterans and have partnerships with a variety of "traditional" publishers -- you'd be hard-pressed to name too many others that have had any truly notable impact to match the hype surrounding them.

Amazon, Libraries and Ownership in the Digital Age

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 21, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:6 Comments

Basically, Amazon one-upped Barnes & Noble's Read In-Store feature that allows Nook customers to "read NOOK Books FREE for up to one hour per day" in any of their 700+ stores, and put the exact same feature in every Kindle customer's living room via 11,000+ public libraries, without the physical and timing limitations.

Amazon: Friend, Foe, or Scarecrow?

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 17, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:4 Comments

There's an interesting comment buried in the beginning of the article, attributed broadly to unnamed Amazon executives, that perfectly sums up the true state of the publishing industry and Amazon's position in it: "...they played down Amazon’s power and said publishers were in love with their own demise."

Advertising Addiction will be the Death of Magazines (Again)

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 10, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

Most magazines, print and digital, are little more than advertising platforms whose readers are defined as “targets”, valued in quantity over quality, and when the advertising revenue stream dries up, the magazines usually fold, readers be damned.

If Your Business Model is Your Most Interesting Story…

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 5, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

What I most like about Wendig is not that he has one foot firmly planted on both sides of the fence, strategically taking advantage of self-publishing opportunities, while also working the traditional channels. It's that he's a good writer and gives good story. When that's your starting point, business models are simply tools, not useless badges to prop up your sad little ego.

You Know What’s “Uninspired,” Prof. Galloway? (UPDATED)

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 5, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:5 Comments

In the pre-digital days, influential media brands like Cosmopolitan and Vogue were one of the primary gateways for marketers to connect with consumers. They offered an attentive audience that would have been difficult for most marketers to gather without investing heavily in staff and infrastructure. Today, those media brands are no longer primary gateways, and marketers aren't nearly as reliant on them to reach their desired audience as they used to be as they now have cost-effective tools at their disposal to engage directly with consumers.

You Are What You Tweet

Post author:Guy LeCharles Gonzalez
Post published:October 3, 2011
Post category:Media
Post comments:0 Comments

I love data, but the more complex it becomes, the less effective spreadsheets and Powerpoint charts are at presenting it. Enter infographics and the growing field of data visualization, perhaps best personified by Facebook's hiring of personal infographics guru Nick Felton to work on the visual elements of their new Timeline feature.